Iboga Chronicles Book III: The Tepoztlan Conference

This is a record of our adventure at the 5th Global Ibogaine Providers Conference organized by GITA (Global Ibogaine Therapists Alliance) in Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico, in March 2016. It also contains notes on the Proceedings of the Conference, as we attended most of the talks given at the Conference by a wide range of fascinating people, and were totally blown away by the wealth of Knowledge that was shared about this amazing plant medicine.

Most of the organizing for this Conference was done by Jonathan Dickinson from Canada, ably assisted by Ben de Loenen from ICEERS in Barcelona, and Clare Wilkins of Pangaea Biomedics, one of the original American Iboga Providers in Mexico, all of them motivating and inspiring movers of the Therapists Alliance from the very beginning.

At the Global Ibogaine Conference all attendees received a copy of the guidebook Jonathan prepared. His introduction and welcome statement went as follows…

‘Welcome to Tepoztlan! Greetings, friends, colleagues and mentors. We’re very excited to welcome you to Tepoztlan for the 5th Global Ibogaine Conference. Since our last meeting in 2014, and especially over the past 6 months, a lot of changes have taken place. In order to try to address the public health impact of the world’s largest heroin market in the United States, the Vermont State legislature is introducing a bill that would allow the operation of a not-for-profit clinic, and other states have started to take notice. In the country with the second largest crack/cocaine market in the world, Brazil, the state of Sao Paulo recently issued an official declaration calling for further research into Ibogaine therapy for addiction treatment, and making provisions for the prescription use if ibogaine in hospital settings.
‘Since NIDA’s decision in March of 1995 to discontinue their funding for ibogaine the ‘ibogaine medical subculture’ has steadily expanded to include therapy providers, medical centers and retreats throughout the world. Since 2007 the number of therapy providers in Mexico has expanded from 2 to more than 15. Since the earliest days Mexico has been reflective of this global growth. In 2009 The Global Ibogaine Therapy Alliance (GITA) had its formative meeting in Sayulita, Nayarit, on Mexico’s western coast. Tepoztlan, nicknamed and commonly known as ‘Pueblo Magico’ was chosen for this Conference because it is close to Mexico City, the political center, and the center of a progressive cultural change. The name Tepoztlan is roughly translated as ‘place of abundant copper’. For those who have a knowledge and interest in Mexico’s ancestral mythologies, Tepoztlan is also widely known as the birthplace of the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl over 1200 years ago, who is the bringer of new awareness.
‘The 2016 Global Ibogaine Conference is perhaps the largest single meeting related to ibogaine that has ever taken place. At such an interesting juncture for research into ibogaine therapy, and in the context of a dramatically shifting discussion regarding our society’s stance towards substance use and addiction, the dialogues that take place here will set an important tone for the ibogaine community of the future. We’re looking forward to this important meeting, and very honoured that you have come to join us. Sincerely, Jonathan Dickinson, GITA Executive Director.’